


The Magician

by folerdetdufoler



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Evakteket SKAMenger Hunt, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 09:34:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17180456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/folerdetdufoler/pseuds/folerdetdufoler
Summary: the "christmas magic" prompt





	The Magician

**Author's Note:**

> i mixed in a heavy dose of my american version of santa instead of using julenisse because i'm not familiar with those characters/traditions. apologies if this throws you off.

“We really need to make a decision on what we’re doing with gifts.” Isak pulled the toothbrush out of his mouth when Even walked into the bathroom. He stepped to the side so Even could get his own and have access to the sink.

“Now?”

“She’s starting to ask questions. _And_ we’re running out of space in the closet. We could just put the gifts under the tree and stop worrying about hiding them.”

The rush of water from the faucet and more teeth brushing interrupted their conversation. Isak watched Even in the mirror and tried to predict his argument for the debate they’d been dancing around for the past month.

“I thought we’d decided we were going to put them out after she goes to sleep, like Santa. That’s why we’re hiding them.”

“We agreed we’d hide them, but I don’t know about Santa.”

Even let his toothbrush fall into the sink for comedic effect. “No Santa?” he mock whispered.

“Even.”

“I bought a suit and everything.”

“You did not!”

“Okay, I didn’t. But I was tempted to, multiple times.” Even fished out his toothbrush and rinsed it off. They both gargled and spit.

“She’s old enough to understand Santa now, and I don’t really want to start lying to her. Especially if we have to do it every year, and then figure out when we need to reveal that we’ve been lying to her.”

“You make it sound like we’re trying to con our own daughter.” Even turned to leave the bathroom but gave Isak’s waist a pinch before he went. He wanted to keep the mood light.

Isak did not. “Well, that’s basically what it is!”

Even waited until they were both in their bedroom with the door closed. He turned on the monitor on his bedside table. “I’m starting to think you didn’t have a very good experience with Christmas when you were a kid.”

“Um, no. Christmas was wonderful. I saw my cousins and got gifts from everyone and ate my weight in cookies. I also never had the soul-crushing moment when my parents had to explain that _they’d_ been buying our gifts every year, and not that a mysterious man delivered them overnight to all of the good boys and girls.”

“Let me guess.” Even leaned over the bed, resting his hands on the pillows he was rearranging. “You were the asshole kid who told everyone that Santa wasn’t real on the playground.”

“I did _not_!”

Even glanced back at the monitor to see if Isak’s defiant outburst had woken up their toddler. Isak continued his defense in a whisper. “I just thought everyone was stupid and quietly waited until I could say ‘I told you so.’”

“Ah yes, the true Christmas spirit.”

Isak shrugged. He caught the extra pillow that Even tossed to his side of the bed. They pulled back their blankets and climbed in, rushing a bit to get to sleep before they would be woken up at four by Sophie.

“You know…she’s going to learn about Santa someday. If not from us, then from literally everywhere else. Other kids, even. She might come home from school one day crying because Santa never visited her and everyone thinks it’s because she doesn’t deserve it.” 

“Kids aren’t that mean.”

“Oh ho hooo, yes they are.” Even turned onto his side and pulled Isak into a spoon. “Kids are mean because they are miniature versions of their parents, and parents are mean. Not me, but other parents.”

“Of course.”

Even heard the eye roll in Isak’s voice. He pulled more on Isak’s body until he was twisted around and facing him. “Fine, compromise. I won’t dress up as Santa. But I’m not going to ignore it either. If she asks about it I’ll tell her the story. Might even write ‘From, Santa’ on some of the gifts. She should experience a little bit of Christmas magic.”

“Ugh…fine.” Isak conceded into Even’s chest. He tended to lose debates when he was pressed up against Even, but he was okay with that. “I will allow a hint of Santa.”

Even smiled. A hint was all he needed.

* * *

Isak made the mistake of getting glitter to sprinkle on the decorations they were crafting with Sophie. She was a perfect angel of course, methodically adding googly eyes to the paper towel rolls and holding Isak’s hand while he cut holes into construction paper snowflakes. It was Even who was struggling with keeping the glitter contained. “It looks like I’m giving both of you a bath tonight,” Isak sighed.

“What?” Even looked at the mess he’d created on the table, unaware of how far-reaching it had become.

“Your shirt. Your hair. If you smile I bet you’d have some in between your teeth.”

Even smiled, a cheesy, exaggerated grin that made his eyes disappear and his daughter laugh.

“Well…none yet, but keep your mouth shut.”

“Aww, you don’t like when I do that. Aren’t you always asking me to…blow?” Even hunched over to the tabletop and blew on the loose glitter scattered about, launching it onto Isak’s shirt, hair, and the shocked expression on his face.

“Even!”

“Emem!” Sophie mimicked the shriek. This made Even laugh so hard he clutched at his belly. Isak stood and tried to walk to the kitchen sink without dislodging any of the shiny specks until he was hovered over the drain.

“If Sophie copies you then you are in big trouble!” Isak hollered over his shoulder.

Even noticed that Sophie was doing exactly that, trying to blow at the remaining glitter with ineffective gusts. Still, Even corrected her to avoid upsetting Isak. “No no, sweetie, Daddy did a bad thing. We don’t blow on the glitter. Only birthday candles and hot food, okay?”

Sophie looked up at him with the eyes of a child who knew they needed to listen but were still too young to understand the exact words. She stopped blowing, waiting for instruction on what else she could do that would make her parents laugh.

“Here, let’s finish putting the snow on the hat.” Even swiped a glue stick across the red paper and handed Sophie a cotton ball to attach to the adhesive. She did it with an impressive amount of force, and Even clapped for a job well done. She clapped for herself too. Isak returned to the table with significantly less glitter stuck to him, but as it was glitter, some still remained. He half-heartedly joined the clapping.

“I don’t even know how to punish you for that,” Isak muttered, looking at the table for inspiration. Unfortunately retaliation would just create more of a mess.

“I’ll blow on something else to make it up to you later.” Even kept his tone casual, not even betraying the innuendo with an eyebrow wiggle, just so Sophie wouldn’t pick up on it. Isak let himself laugh at it though.

They finished the decorations when Sophie started getting too distracted, her bedtime swiftly approaching and the chair no longer a suitable containment. Even helped her hop down and chased her around the living room, trying to burn off the rest of her energy. Isak went to get her pajamas and draw a bath.

Sophie’s bedtime routine was blessedly efficient. Even wrangled the little girl while Isak handled the washcloth and baby shampoo. They worked side-by-side on the bathroom floor, drenching their shirts when Sophie splashed and wrapping her in a towel when she was done. Even sang songs and Isak combed her hair and they ended the whole bath time experience with a short dance break in front of the mirror. Then Even got her into a clean diaper and the pajamas Isak had laid out. They chose two books to read, alternating who was holding Sophie and who was reading every other night. They sang one more song, a lullaby, as they lowered Sophie into her crib, and then they said goodnight. Sophie would always let out a wail when they turned off the light, but it was more out of habit than fear at this point. By the time they got to the monitor in their own room, she would be asleep.

Once she was down they went to their hall closet and pulled out all of their presents. Most of them were for Sophie, but there were a few for friends that they would hand-deliver after Christmas. Isak grabbed a tube of red and white striped wrapping paper to go on everything. They delicately cleaned up the arts & crafts, setting the finished decorations on the counter for hanging in the morning, and then they got down to the quiet business of wrapping. They didn’t talk; the noise of scissors cutting paper and tape ripping from the dispenser was enough of a risk. But they also wanted to just get it done with, the last chore of the night.

“So what should we do with them?” Isak stared at the finished stack, which was quite pretty if you didn’t look too closely at how much tape they actually used.

“Back in the closet? Then maybe right before we leave for church you can take her out and I’ll quickly set them up under the tree for when we’re back?”

“Yeah?”

“It’ll just take a couple of minutes and then I’ll come outside. When we get home it’ll be like…Christmas magic.” Even elaborated with jazz hands.

“Hmm.” Isak turned to him as if to evaluate his plan. But then he gave a small smirk. “You’re right, it usually only takes you a couple of minutes before you come.”

It was Even’s turn to let his face go slack with shock. He turned one jazz hand into a middle-fingered salute, which Isak acknowledged with a smug nod. 

Then Isak leaned in close. “You lasting five whole minutes would be some fucking Christmas magic.”

“Challenge accepted.” Even shoved his chair away from the table and strode to the bedroom. Isak left the gifts where they were.

* * *

Sophie made it through about half of the service before she started fussing. They distracted her a bit with a small cup of crackers for her to chew on, but those didn’t last very long. Even bundled her up and took her outside before the last hymn, leaving Isak to welcome baby Jesus on his own.

They walked home, all three of them rosy-cheeked and hungry. Even was humming the hymns to keep Sophie happy. Once they were in the building Even let Sophie walk the rest of the way to their door, and with his hands now free he could fish out his phone.

“Did you leave the lights on?” Isak asked as he unlocked the door. They’d planned for the living room to be dark save for the tree lights and blinking lights in the window.

“Yes.” Even pressed record. Isak opened the door and let Sophie enter first so she could discover the gifts, and Even followed right behind her to capture her reaction.

Except it was Isak who was shocked when he walked into the living room. “Even? Where are the—“

“Well hello Miss Sophie!” A voice boomed from the kitchen. Isak snapped around to find Santa standing in the doorway with a sack over his shoulder.

“What the fuck!”

“Oh shit, Isak, now I have you cursing on video.” Even stopped recording and dropped his phone. “Calm down, it’s Magnus.”

Magnus walked into the living room and bent over to give a star-struck Sophie a pat on the head. Here eyes were wide and her little pink mouth had fallen open, stunned by the stranger but quieter than her father about it.

Isak squinted in the dark room, but could finally recognize his good friend underneath the synthetic beard. “Jesus Christ.”

Magnus straightened and offered his hand to Isak. “No, Santa Claus.”

“You fucker,” Isak greeted him under his breath. He took Magnus’s hand though, to keep up the display.

“Look Sophie, Santa came to bring you gifts!” Even put Magnus back on track, and he walked over to the armchair next to the tree and sat down. He made a show of opening his sack and pulling out the wrapped gifts. Sophie was watching him, but she moved over to Even and leaned against his legs for protection.

“Can she tell it’s me?” Magnus asked.

“No, I think it’s just because you’re a stranger. Sophie sweetie, let’s go see what Santa brought.” Even took her hand and led her closer. He sat down in front of the pile and picked up one of the gifts. “Oh look, this one is for Daddy.” Even held the gift up over his head and wiggled it in Isak’s direction. Isak walked over and sat down on Sophie’s other side. She climbed into his newly-made lap.

“Santa brought Daddy a gift from Grandma.”

Magnus put on a deep voice again: “It was the heaviest present in my sack and weighed down my sleigh!”

Sophie stared up at Magnus, Santa, while Isak unwrapped the gift from Even’s mom above her head. It was a heavy box, but small. Even took the discarded paper as Isak peeled it off.

“Oh ho ho, it’s a speaker!” Magnus announced. “Someday little Sophie, you will learn about Bluetooth technology and how it’s used to send inappropriate photos to friends. For now, you will just have to settle for your dad’s poor music choices.”

Sophie laughed at the cheery tone of Santa’s voice, finally enjoying the show from the safety of Isak’s legs.

“This is perfect, Even. I wonder how she knew it was just what I wanted.” Isak gave Even a suspecting smile. He just shrugged.

“Mamma knows everything.”

“Are we calling them later?”

“After dinner, yes.”

“Okay.” Isak set his new speaker to the side and focused on Sophie. They had a limited amount of time before she would descend into a hunger tantrum, and Magnus’s beard would no longer enchant. “Find her gifts first.” Magnus sorted through the pile and pulled out four gifts addressed to Sophie. As Isak watched her scramble with the slippery paper, he noticed that the tags all said they were from Santa. “Hey, how did you get in here?”

“Why, through the chimney of course!”

Isak rolled his eyes. “No, really.”

“I left the door unlocked for him,” Even whispered, trying not to shatter the illusion.

“Did he change the labels while we were out too?”

“No, I did that while you were in the shower.”

“That’s a little extreme, Even.”

“Sounds like I have a hater.”

Isak shot Santa a glare that promised a less-than-cheery return trip to Finland. Even held up his phone again and snapped a photo of an absolutely delighted toddler in the lap of a Grinch.

“And it looks like we have next year’s holiday card.”

“Hey, you said I could be in the holiday card!”

Isak laughed then, realizing how Magnus ended up at their apartment in a red suit on Christmas Eve. “You bribed Santa?”

“The only thing I promised was dinner. If, and only if, Sophie will sit on your knee without screaming, then we might have a contender for the card.”

“Well that’s not fair. You know she’s never been near me without bursting into tears.” Magnus was a bit annoyed, but he kept up the voice of Santa with its cheery inflections as not to scare Sophie. She was getting comfortable with him now, accepting gifts directly from his gloved hands.

“Hey man, don’t jinx it. We don’t have any crying yet. Oooo, it’s a book! With a puppet in it!” Even took another photo and hyped up the gift Sophie just unwrapped. She made a general sound of excitement, but then quickly discarded the book in favor of another box to unwrap.

“Next year we should just wrap empty boxes, not bother with actual gifts. Clearly these aren’t necessary.” Isak stacked the book on the speaker and started collecting the paper, smashing it into a compact bundle.

“Wow dude, you really are the Grinch. You should get a costume for next year.”

Isak chucked the balled up paper at Magnus.

“Please don’t fight with Santa, babe. I’m recording again.”

Isak put on a smile for the sake of the video, and then let a real one take its place while they watched Sophie at work. She unwrapped gifts from her parents and grandparents, enough books and toys and clothes to last her until she would be showered with more at her next birthday. Magnus held onto a small gift from himself for last, presenting it to her with a little extra pomp. “And this one is because you are a very special little girl and bring so much joy into our lives.” Even cooed at Magnus’s sweet line. Sophie, by now an expert at unwrapping things, quickly revealed a bedazzled pair of antlers that glittered in the soft light. Isak brushed her hair away from her face and helped her slide the headband on. “Now you match my reindeer!” Magnus’s booming voice returned.

Isak opened his own phone so he could show Sophie what she looked like in the camera. She giggled and shook her head to watch the antlers wiggle. When they threatened to slide off she plastered her hands to her head to hold them in place. “This is very cute, Santa. Thank you so much.” Even pushed himself to his feet to give Magnus a hug.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get you guys anything.”

“No no, you’ve given us plenty.” Even squeezed Magnus’s shoulders in reassurance. “This is quite the gift.”

* * *

When they were done they all waved good-bye to Santa, and he disappeared into the kitchen again. Magnus ran to the bathroom where he changed out of his costume, and waited a few minutes for Sophie to forget what she’d just seen. Isak turned on the rest of the lights and Even went to the kitchen to finish the last of the dinner preparations.

Sophie was in her high chair by the time Magnus reappeared, and Even pretended he was just showing up for the first time. “Look Sophie, Uncle Magnus is here!” He had barely stepped into the kitchen when Sophie started crying, which made Isak laugh as he rushed to comfort her.

“That must have been a really good costume.”

“Maybe I’ll eat in the living room.”

“Don’t be silly. Sit down and she’ll get used to you. Or I’ll dig out some wrapping paper to distract her.”

Sophie calmed down soon enough, once she had two spoons in her hands and chunks of pork on her plastic plate. They enjoyed a simple, delicious meal together, and Magnus even managed a game of peek-a-boo from the other end of the table. Isak snuck bits of food into Sophie’s mouth between squeals. The excitement of the evening had Sophie yawning in record time, though, and Even checked his watch. “Ugh. If we put her to bed now she’s going to wake up at three. Then it’ll throw her nap off.”

Isak shrugged at the logistics. “It’s Christmas. Let’s get wild.”

“Say that tomorrow when you’re the one waking up with the baby.” Even usually handled the morning diaper change and first bottle, but if it was happening in the middle of the night, he was going to shove Isak out of bed instead.

“My gift to you.” Isak thought for a moment. “And actually probably better than what I actually got you.”

Even started Sophie’s bedtime routine. Isak and Magnus cleaned up the kitchen. By the time Sophie was in her crib, Isak was sending Magnus back to his parents’ house. Even caught them at the door. “Thanks again, Magnus. That was great.”

“You’re very welcome. It’s always a pleasure to see Isak almost shit his pants.”

“Hah, hah, yes, let’s make fun of the guy who thought he was being robbed by an idiot in red.”

“You thought we were being robbed?”

“It made sense! Almost everyone is at church, a Santa costume is a great disguise. He can literally leave carrying a bag of heavy things. No one would’ve suspected it.”

“Watch out Even, it sounds like your husband has been casing some houses.” 

Isak gave Magnus a light shove, enough to push him through the doorway. Magnus recovered and leaned in for another hug from Even, and then gave Isak a squeeze as well, just to piss him off completely.

“Go get drunk for us, man. And give your mother our best.”

“Done and done. Merry Christmas guys.”

Even shut the door with a soft click. Isak let out a heavy sigh. “What a day.” Even scooped him up in a loose hug, letting Isak rest on him however he needed.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” Even apologized into his hair. “But honestly I think it was worth it.” He could feel Isak scrunching up his nose against his neck. “I know, I know. But look what we got.”

Even reached into his back pocket for his phone and he opened up his photos. Isak turned to his left so he could see the screen. They watched a minute of Sophie tearing at the wrapping paper, making little noises with every rip. Then he swiped to a few photos later, when they got Sophie on Magnus’s knee.

The antlers were still on her head, and seeing it now, Isak realized that the red rhinestones matched her dress perfectly, glittering along with the decorations and lights in the window behind them. She was smiling wide, just like Even does, her eyes disappearing from pure joy. Magnus was smiling too, a mix of relief and joy because for the first time Sophie was in his arms and wasn’t crying. It was a happy moment, a successful moment, a treasured moment.

“Christmas magic.”


End file.
